Tornadoes, storms leave at least nine dead

LITTLE ROCK, Ark (Reuters) - Violent storms ripped across the south overnight and Friday, killing at least nine people including three children, and cutting a path of destruction through Little Rock and Jackson, Miss., authorities said on Friday.

Seven people were killed in Arkansas early Friday morning while two were killed in Oklahoma.

"It was like a bomb went off," said one man in Clinton, Miss., north of Jackson, who did not wish to be identified. His home was destroyed when a tornado passed through the area north of Jackson.

At least four tornadoes have been reported in Alabama Friday, and more storms were expected tonight, officials said.

Art Faulkner, director of the Alabama Emergency Management Agency, noted the state has several large events this weekend, including sports events at the University of Alabama and Auburn University, and a major NASCAR race at Talladega expecting more than 100,000 fans. "This is causing us to do some extra planning," Faulkner said.

The Talladega Superspeedway alerted fans on its web site to watch the weather and take necessary precautions.

Local officials reported severe structural damage in Jackson, Miss., with lines down and roofs off. An 18-wheel semi-trailer truck flipped over on I-20, shutting down the highway.

Among the dead in Arkansas Friday were two boys, ages 6 and 7, and an 18-month-old girl. The seven-year-old and his mother were killed after a tree fell on their house in Little Rock.

The storm left Little Rock with uprooted trees, downed power lines and destroyed traffic signals.

"It looks like a war zone," said Little Rock resident Holly Dunlap, interviewed on Arkansasonline.com. The storm knocked down all but one of about a dozen trees in her yard. "It's crazy to see the aftermath of it all."

The National Weather Service has not confirmed Little Rock was hit by a tornado, but tornadoes were confirmed in other parts of the state.

A senior citizen in Sumter County, Alabama was hospitalized after a tree fell on her house, collapsing the roof and ceiling and pinning her down, said Sumter County Emergency Management Agency director Margaret Bishop-Gulley.

More storms are expected Friday in a secondary storm corridor along the Mississippi River valley through eastern Missouri, northeastern Arkansas, Western Kentucky and southern and perhaps central Illinois, according to Corey Mead, forecaster for the National Storm Prediction Center.

Mead said the storms are expected to bring heavy rainfall with a potential for more tornadoes and large hail. Storms will likely continue overnight in the deep south, moving east across parts of Georgia and the Florida panhandle, Mead said.

Large hail, tornadoes and damaging winds are also possible in eastern Louisiana and the western Carolinas, according to weather.com.